


Valentine's fool

by Connah



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, a proposal gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29400879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Connah/pseuds/Connah
Summary: Juyeon wants to propose to his boyfriend of 5 years, Hyunjae, on Valentine’s day. But unknowingly, Hyunjae keeps ruining it.
Relationships: Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 17
Kudos: 108





	Valentine's fool

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anon7912](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon7912/gifts).



> Hi my love, Nonnie! I hope this comes as a surprise to you, on this, the day of Valentine's.  
> I hope you enjoy it. I just wanted to show my adoration of you, and tell you that I appreciate you in my life. I'm so thankful for you <3 
> 
> As always, do not repost my work without permission!

“We missed a payment? How did that happen?” Juyeon groaned on the line. He was exiting his company building, heading straight to his car in a rush to get home. On the other side of the phone was his boyfriend of five years, Hyunjae. 

“I don’t know, Juyeon, but the envelope is yellow. Only one more missed payment then it’s-”

“It’s red, yes, I know the color system, sweetheart.” Juyeon chuckled a little at his partner. Even after five years, Hyunjae still said the darndest things. He was the type of person to ask where the salt was when it was directly in front of him. The type of person to say ‘spoiler alert’ before talking about a movie scene that was decades old. The type of person that every day Juyeon both questioned why he was in love with him but was also thankful for the fool that he could call the love of his life.

He loved him so much that he planned on proposing to him this weekend.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll sort it out when I get home,” Juyeon reassured his boyfriend. Even though they both paid equal shares of the bills, it was usually up to Juyeon to make sure they got paid on time. Notices on the refrigerator, memos in his phone. That’s why Hyunjae was so surprised to see a yellow envelope nestled in with their usual mail this evening when he returned home from work first. 

But Juyeon had been a little more distracted the past few weeks than usual. 

“Oh, and Juyeon, you have a delivery.” Hyunjae mentioned nonchalantly. Those very words made Juyeon’s heart thump heavily in his chest. 

“Oh?” He tried to play it coolly. He knew if he sounded too excited then Hyunjae could take too much of an interest in what his delivery was. The last thing Juyeon needed was his boyfriend opening that package.

“Yeah, it’s just a little box,” Hyunjae said as he shook it in an attempt to see what it was. Juyeon gritted his teeth as he heard the object loosely bounce around the hollow box as he switched his phone onto the loudspeaker in the car. “Should I open it?” 

Juyeon’s heart constricted in his chest.

“No, no. It’s fine,” He panicked. Oh god, Juyeon needed to get home  _ now _ before Hyunjae’s insatiable curiosity got the better of him. He could practically feel Hyunjae smirking on the other side of the phone. “I know what it is, no need to open it.” 

Hyunjae began to chuckle like a naughty child watching their friend get into trouble for something they had done. “Is it some kind of sex toy? Juyeon, you naughty boy.” 

Juyeon rolled his eyes. Of course, the first thing his boyfriend thought of was that. But right now, Juyeon would take the embarrassment of Hyunjae thinking it’s some kind of marital aid rather than finding out what it actually was. 

Hyunjae began to shake the box again, harder. “It’s too small to be a sex toy, though. Unless it’s a cock ring or something?” He mused to himself. Juyeon groaned out loud this time.

“I’ll sort the bills out once I’m home.” He diverted the subject completely. Thankfully, Hyunjae didn’t bat an eyelid at it. “Why don’t you get started on dinner, since you’re home first.” 

This time it was Hyunjae’s turn to groan loudly on the phone. 

“I hate cooking, can’t we order take-out tonight?” The typical baby-voice Juyeon had gotten used to over the years was at its peak. Hyunjae would try anything to get out of cooking when he could.

Juyeon shook his head in a laugh as he pulled the car down another road, “You just complained about our spending last month, and now you want to order take-out?” 

The lack of response from Hyunjae meant that he knew Juyeon was right. Juyeon tutted out loud to him. “I’ll be home in a minute.” 

He just had to pray that the box was left untouched by the time he got home.

  
  
  


To his luck, the box was indeed left untouched. Hyunjae had also ordered chicken for dinner despite Juyeon asking him to cook, but he would take his victory with a loss this time. The two of them curled up on the sofa while they ate, sharing their boring workdays with as much enthusiasm as they did every other day.

Routine was well established after five years, with little left to surprise either of them at this point. But it was a happy comfort. Hyunjae put on whatever current series he was watching on Netflix; Juyeon pretending to pay attention to it. Hyunjae never noticed that his boyfriend never paid attention to whatever they watched together, he was always too absorbed in it himself to care. It was a great coincidence right now as all Juyeon could focus on was snatching the box away, and out of Hyunjae’s sight as the nearest possible convenience. 

“Baby, let’s go to bed.” Hyunjae cooed at Juyeon. The sudden softness caught Juyeon off guard slightly as he looked over to see Hyunjae climbing over the sofa to him. 

“Yeah? Juyeon replied lazily, a crooked smile on his face as Hyunjae’s hands came to plant themselves on Juyeon’s thighs to keep him steady. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjae muttered. Even after five years, the spark was not gone between the both of them. Hyunjae pressed his lips against Juyeon’s Adam’s apple, knowing it was a sensitive spot that made Juyeon’s toes curl. He felt it move against his lips as Juyeon gulped in quiet arousal. “We can even use your new little toy you got today.”

Juyeon felt the blood rush away from his face for a different reason. 

Hyunjae kissed up his boyfriend’s neck, leading onto his jaw as Juyeon angled his head to give him better access. But now his mind was preoccupied with that package. This weekend was Valentine’s day, and that package was going to come in mighty handy to both of them. Just not in a way Hyunjae expected it to. Hyunjae pulled Juyeon back to reality as his slender hands turned Juyeon’s face to look at him.

“How about it?” He hummed against Juyeon’s lips. Juyeon almost gave in. Almost.

“Go brush your teeth, and get ready for bed.” Juyeon managed to mutter up to his horny boyfriend. Hyunjae grinned, not realizing this was a distraction to keep him away from what Juyeon had ordered for him. 

“Yes, sir.” Hyunjae wiggled a little as he pushed himself off the sofa. He almost bounced to the bathroom, allowing Juyeon to take a quick sigh of relief. Hyunjae hung off the door frame as he called back to Juyeon once more, “You’ll join me, right?” 

Juyeon gulped his pre-weekend nerves down. 

“Of course. In a second, baby.”

He waited for the bathroom door to click close and the water to start running before he jumped off the sofa himself. 

Even though he knew Hyunjae wouldn’t hear him, Juyeon tiptoed over to the table. The bills Hyunjae had nagged him about still lay there, and so did the package that Hyunjae managed to keep his paws off of. Juyeon quietly unfolded the corners and peeked inside of it. 

A velvet black box, unassuming and soft to the touch. With a shake, the box dropped out of the packaging and fell into Juyeon’s awaiting hand. Juyeon wouldn’t have needed to risk Hyunjae coming across the ring if he would’ve guessed his ring size right the first time. 

He had tried so hard to measure Hyunjae’s ring finger discreetly- while he was asleep with a tape measure. But he had been too scared to pull on his tightly in case he woke Hyunjae up. So when he came back from the jewelers with the ring the first time, he found it was too loose around his hopefully husband-to-be’s finger while he slept. Juyeon had to send it back to be resized again. 

He was learning the hard way how difficult keeping secrets from Hyunjae could be.

  
  


\----------

Juyeon hid the ring in a place Hyunjae would never think to go; behind the spice rack in the top cupboard of the kitchen. It was ingenious, Juyeon thought. Hyunjae had a habit of rummaging around the house and getting his paws on everything that wasn’t his. He did so with even more gusto the past few days since Juyeon’s  _ sex toy _ hadn’t turned up in the bedroom yet.

Tomorrow was Valentine’s day, and usually, neither of them were enthusiastic about it. After the first two years, the need to show your loved one that you cared on a single day seemed to dwindle until eventually Valentine’s day just became an excuse for them to eat more chocolate than usual, or catch a movie that they wanted to see. 

So when Juyeon suggested that the two of them go to an upscale restaurant for a change, Hyunjae wasn’t too eager to join him.

“But I’ve already made the reservation,” Juyeon moaned in annoyance. His boyfriend sat with his back to him, watching television as Juyeon sorted through the laundry on the table.

“You want me to wear a suit? I don’t think I’ve worn one since our prom night” Hyunjae called over his shoulder. Juyeon chuckled, he was probably right.

“I don’t even know if I’d fit into it,” Hyunjae muttered to himself. 

“Come on, what’s a little romance, if only for a night?” Juyeon folded one of his shirts up and placed it on top of the pile. Domestic, calm. It had taken them past their last year of high school together, and their college years to get to this point. Juyeon was always more ready to settle down than Hyunjae was; but over the years, Hyunjae had also made it apparent that he didn’t intend on spending the rest of his life with anyone else.

So why not make it official? 

“Fine,” Hyunjae sighed. Juyeon grinned in victory, the first step of his plan had succeeded. “But at least come to Kev’s with me tonight? We haven’t gone out with our friends in a while.” 

“I met up with Kevin last week,” Juyeon corrected him. Hyunjae finally turned his head to give Juyeon a look.

“I meant  _ together,  _ fool.” 

That was definitely because Juyeon had been asking for his friend’s advice on this entire engagement scheme. 

Kevin was a hopeless romantic, just as much as Juyeon was sometimes. In fact, it was Kevin’s idea to book a restaurant with a panoramic view of the city. 

_ ‘Just think how romantic it would be? Overlooking the city where you both fell in love’ _ . 

Juyeon liked that idea. It was Juyeon’s idea, however, to propose on the promenade they walked down after their first date.

The summer before their senior year, when Hyunjae had plucked up enough courage to ask Juyeon out. It came as a surprise to Juyeon; he was the head of the student board, somebody who threw himself into many different clubs. Hyunjae was much more… lax than Juyeon in spirit, but it quickly became apparent that between the two of them there was something special.

Their first date had been like most other typical teenage dates: a movie, dinner in a cheap burger place, and then a walk through the streets. Neither of them wanted to be the first one to go home, so Juyeon suggested hanging out on the promenade by the river. The two of them shared an ice-cold drink and their first kiss. It held such precious memories for Juyeon, he couldn’t think of a better place than to propose but there.

“I can’t tonight, Hyunjae.” Juyeon shook his head sadly. Of course, he wasn’t really sad. If anything he was relieved that he could check that everything was in order the night before the big day. Hyunjae looked disappointed.

“I have this big project coming up - at work - I really should get a head start on it.” His slight stutter was thankfully skipped over by Hyunjae who returned to watch his show.

“Yeah, sure. Spare me the details.” He sighed.

Once Hyunjae was gone, Juyeon darted for the cupboards. Unmoved from behind the spice rack was the ring he got bought for Hyunjae. Juyeon had checked it nightly already, but one more look wasn’t going to hurt. Opening the box, the beautiful gleam of the diamond-studded ring made his heart jump into his throat. The delicate rainbow glistening in the refracted light, how the white gold band was untarnished and pure. It was slender, delicate. Juyeon thought it suited Hyunjae’s hands perfectly.

He tucked the box back behind the coriander and garlic powder, making sure it was completely hidden from sight before going to the bedroom.

He checked everything, his suit, his shoes, the reservation, the news. He had to make sure the weather was perfect for their walk down the pier, he even had checked when sunset would be and timed their visit to the restaurant to correlate with catching it as they walked to the spot where he would propose.

Propose. Just thinking of the word sent Juyeon’s stomach into chaos with nerves and anticipation.

Before he knew it, it was 11 o’clock. He had been so preoccupied with making sure everything was perfect for tomorrow, that he had forgotten to check in with the key component of it all: his boyfriend.

He was only visiting Kevin’s home, a twenty-minute walk from their own. Juyeon fished out his phone from his pocket and called his sweetheart, but was instantly met with the unsavory sound of his voicemail.

“His phone is off?” Juyeon said to no one in particular. He tried again, two more times, but to no avail.

“Weird. I’ll just call Kevin.” He tried his best to stay calm and not assume the worst had happened.

Juyeon winced as the call connected to Kevin’s phone. The screeching of music in the background and Kevin’s hand fumbling to bring it to his face made Juyeon’s ear hurt. 

“Hello?” Kevin slurred loudly. Juyeon gritted his teeth together.

“Hey, Kevin. You’re with Hyunjae, right?” 

“Oh, hey Juyeon! Yeah!” Kevin sounded far too merry for him to be sitting on his sofa, where Juyeon assumed they would be. “He left the bar, like? Ten minutes ago? I guess he will be back home soon.”

Juyeon rolled his eyes to the back of his head.

“The bar?” Juyeon repeated. “You guys were at a bar?”

Kevin jumped to his defense, “We didn’t plan it! But when the mood takes you-” Kevin’s voice became distracted and distant. Juyeon could only assume somebody had caught his eye, and a few seconds later Kevin muttered an apology down the line and swiftly hung up. 

Juyeon was worried. He was partially worried because Hyunjae was alone somewhere and his phone was dead. What if this idiot got into trouble the day before Juyeon was planning to propose to him? Juyeon was suddenly anticipating pawning the ring for his bail...

He was also worried about how drunk Hyunjae would be when he finally arrived home.

It took another twenty minutes for his boyfriend to come stumbling through the door. Juyeon heard him out in the hallway, struggling with the keypad on the door, mumbling vague curse words as he typed the pin number in wrong.

When he saw Hyunjae, he couldn’t help but laugh. A half-eaten kebab wrap in his hands, stinking drunk as he tried to kick his shoes off. 

“Hey, Ju-” He hiccuped. Juyeon got up to help him out.

“You went to a bar.” “I went to a bar!” They said in completely contrasting tones. Juyeon wasn’t about to scold him, if anything he wanted to make sure Hyunjae remained in one piece for their plans tomorrow. He threw his arm under Hyunjae’s arm to keep him steady. His boyfriend taking a bite of the cold meat he had picked up on the way home, he was mumbling something about how Kevin said they needed to unwind and now three tequila shots later.

“Tequila?” Juyeon gagged at the mention of it. “You hate tequila, it makes you nauseous.” 

“Yeah, about that-” Hyunjae coughed as he placed his wrap on the kitchen table. He steadied himself. Juyeon suddenly didn’t like the color of Hyunjae’s face.

“If you could get me to the bathroom-”

“Oh my  _ god, _ ” Juyeon whined.

Hyunjae spent the next twenty minutes on the ground, curled up over the edge of the toilet. Juyeon waited for the retching to subside before entering again, placing a glass of water next to Hyunjae as he gently stroked his shoulder.

“All done now?” Juyeon tried to remain optimistic. Maybe if he could get enough water in him now, then Hyunjae would feel better by tomorrow.

“Never better.” Hyunjae grinned. God, he was lucky Juyeon loved him so much. His eyes were bloodshot from throwing up and tiredness. He reached for the glass of water, sucking it between his teeth as he drank it, taking small, baby sips between gasping for air.

“Let’s get you to bed.” Juyeon laced his arms under Hyunjae’s armpits as he readied to help him stand up. Hyunjae wasn’t totally jelly-legged and managed to rise to his feet with little assistance.

“You wanna end this night properly, Ju? Hm?” 

Juyeon practically recoiled at the thought. Drunk sex was only fun when the two of them were plastered.

“Go get your box! Come on! Let’s have some fun with it!” Hyunjae laughed with far too much vigor for somebody who just threw up half a kebab.

“You need to brush your teeth before you even think about climbing into bed with me,” Juyeon reprimanded him. Hyunjae slurred a chuckle before doing just that.

\---------

Juyeon loved Hyunjae, even in his sleep. He dreamed of the proposal, a golden sunset on the promenade. Hyunjae’s smile gleaming down to him as he was on one knee and, of course, the answer was yes. Juyeon wasn’t worried about Hyunjae saying yes or not; he was worried about getting him to follow the plan so he could propose in the first place.

Hyunjae had woken up at noon, three hours after his boyfriend Juyeon who had been sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

“Ju~” Hyunjae croaked out. Juyeon knew that tone only meant one thing.

“I’m sick,” Hyunjae announced the moment Juyeon’s head popped around the door. He lay bundled up in the duvet, on his side. 

“You’re not sick, you’re hungover.” his boyfriend corrected him. Hyunjae didn’t want to listen to that. He groaned incessantly until Juyeon agreed to make him breakfast in bed.

“I didn’t make too much. We still have that reservation this evening at five.” Juyeon made sure to remind him. That was four and a half hours from now, plenty of time for Hyunjae to settle his stomach and get back on his feet. 

“Ugh, don’t mention it. I don’t even want to think about going outside right now.” Hyunjae tried to peak outside of the covers, the sunlight burned his eyes and antagonized his headache. As he pulled the cover back over his head, Juyeon laughed softly and put the plate on the bedside table.

“We’re not as young as we used to be, Jae.” Juyeon soothed. He sat down on the edge of the bed, Hyunjae braving the lights once more to look up to his boyfriend.

There had been plenty of ‘morning afters’ where Hyunjae was the one caring for Juyeon. They both had their fair share. There was something so comforting when one was on their way home from a bar, knowing that your other half would be there to take care of you in the morning. Juyeon gently stroked Hyunjae’s messy hair and smiled down at him.

“Eat your breakfast. Then take a shower, you have to get ready for tonight.” 

Hyunjae moaned, but as he reached over to grab the plate Juyeon had left for him, Juyeon felt optimistic.

Yet three hours later, Hyunjae was still in bed.

Juyeon was beginning to panic. Internally, of course, he didn’t want Hyunjae to see him upset and wondering what he was so irritated for. But the longer Hyunjae spent in bed, curled up with his phone glued to his hands instead of getting dressed like Juyeon had done, the more obvious it became that he was annoyed.

“Babe.” Juyeon tutted as he fixed the cuff of his shirt. He was wearing a white shirt with navy pants and a blazer to match. The buttons were left open to give him a less formal feel, and Juyeon was glad that he went with a darker color scheme because he was convinced you could’ve seen the sweat seep through by now.

“We have a reservation at 5 pm, aren’t you going to shower? Get ready?” He tried to be gentle but assertive; apparently, it wasn’t enough.

“Ugh, just cancel it, Ju.” Hyunjae flopped to face the other side of the bed. Juyeon watched him through the reflection of the mirror with heavy eyes.

“I can’t just cancel it- It’s valentine’s day.” 

“So?” Hyunjae huffed. Juyeon swore he was so close to just tossing Hyunjae out of the bed. Luckily, he sat up on his own accord. “It’s not any different than any other day we’ve spent together.” 

That was correct. But Juyeon was trying to  _ make it different _ . 

“Come on,” Hyunjae cooed, flipping the blanket out to tempt Juyeon over. “Get into bed with me, let’s just relax.”

Juyeon bit his lip and shook his head playfully, “I’m already in my suit-”

“Ugh, okay  _ fine _ .” Hyunjae caved in. He dropped his head back onto the pillow and Juyeon smirked in victory. “I’ll get ready in a minute. Can you at least warm my clothes up on the radiator? I hate being cold.” 

Juyeon gulped down his anxiety and nerves again, “Of course, babe.”

Almost thirty minutes later and Hyunjae was still in the shower. Juyeon felt like he was about to go crazy. His mind jumped through everything; that he was doing this on purpose. That he had found the ring, and didn’t want Juyeon to propose so badly that he was delaying the entire day in hopes that he would take the hint. He was so close to doing just that.

But eventually, Hyunjae made it out of the shower. Juyeon had hung his clothes on the radiator for him, and now he was slowly getting dressed. Juyeon checked the time on his phone, again and again, clicking his tongue impatiently as he waited. He had made sure everything was in check. The weather for their time at the pier was forecast to be clear, their table was confirmed. The box in his pocket sat heavily as he thumbed over it slightly, feeling a lump rise in his throat whenever he thought about it too much. 

He just had to get Hyunjae out of the house. Once they were out, everything would go according to plan.

\---------------

“What do you mean we missed the table?” Juyeon tried his best not to hiss at the maitre d. He pressed a hand through his hair, calming himself down. “We’re only fifteen minutes late.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The server spoke back to them. Hyunjae shuffled behind Juyeon, feeling the slightest bit guilty that they were late. “We have a ten minute ‘no show’ policy.”

Juyeon sighed as he tried to think of a solution. He couldn’t let a rough start put an end to what was supposed to be a perfect day. He tapped his fingers against his chin as he looked through to the busy restaurant. 

“Ju, let’s just go home-” Hyunjae tugged on his arm a little. Juyeon quickly pulled away from his touch. 

“No, just wait.” He said impatiently. “How long is the wait for another table?” He practically heard Hyunjae sigh in annoyance at him not giving up.

“It could be anywhere from ten minutes-”  _ Ten minutes. Juyeon could do that.  _ “To two hours.”

_ Goddammit. _

“We’ll stay.” Juyeon quickly answered. Hyunjae immediately pulled on his arm again.

“Ju-” 

Juyeon looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend, bringing a hand down to clasp onto Hyunjae’s as if to confirm his statement. Hyunjae quickly closed his mouth.

“We’ll wait for a table.”

It took Hyunjae thirty minutes to start complaining.

“I’m starving, Ju.” He groaned as he came to rest his head against the other’s shoulder. “It’s making me queasy and nauseous. Can’t we just grab chicken on the way home instead?”

“Hyunjae, I worked really hard to get this table.” He finally puffed out. He wanted to make up for things before they reached the promenade. The scene had to be right, everything had to be perfect. This was the perfect restaurant; Juyeon had to stick to the plan for it to work. 

Hyunjae began to shake his leg up and down, a habit he had when he was frustrated. Friction rubbing against Juyeon’s thigh as he sighed and brought a hand down on his knee to make it stop. Sadly, Htyunjae didn’t know the bigger picture, Juyeon had to remind himself of that.

“It’ll be worth it. The view, I promise.”

Another thirty minutes and finally they were being seated. The waiter apologized for the delay;  _ ‘We’re always so busy on Valentine’s day’ _ they said. Juyeon thanked them for placing them next to the window, just like he had originally reserved. Finally, things were beginning to get back on track.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Jae?” Juyeon smiled as he looked out at the view. The sun was already beginning to set. They had waited an hour for a table when Juyeon had expected by this point to be on their way to the pier. He hoped it wouldn’t be too dark by the time they reached the spot.

“Yeah.” Hyunjae sounded unenthused. 

It prompted Juyeon to look over at him, inspecting his face for an answer. Hyunjae was an odd shade of grey, his skin tinged with nausea as he slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Are you okay?” 

Hyunjae tried to fake it. He glanced out of the window with a faux smile plastered on his face for a brief second until the dizzying height made him feel sick once again and he was forced to look away. “Yeah, totally.” He lied.

Juyeon tried to press on. He browsed over the menu, hoping that once Hyunjae got some food inside of him, that it would all be okay. He glanced over the edge of the paper to check on his boyfriend again.

“You know you can see the bell tower from here.” Juyeon flicked to the next page. Juyeon's dream wedding location. His eyes were on Hyunjae for a reaction to it, who was completely uninterested and seemed to be focusing on keeping the bile down.

Juyeon gulped nervously as he tried to distract him. “I just think it’s stunning, we’re so high over the city. The city where we spent our lives together, fell in love-”

With a scratch of his chair against the floor, Hyunjae stood up. A hand clapped over his mouth to prevent him from throwing up right there and then, he muttered  _ ‘excuse me’  _ before escaping to the bathroom.

Juyeon stared out of the window in defeat.

“Is everything okay, sir?” A waitress approached Juyeon to ask. 

Juyeon stared blankly for a moment. Of course, Hyunjae was still hungover, and being at a high altitude didn’t help at all. Maybe they had spent too long waiting on an empty stomach. Juyeon sighed as he slouched his shoulders.

“Could we change tables, please?” He frowned, “Somewhere in the center of the room.”

  
  


\-----------

The rest of the dinner passed with ease. Hyunjae made up for it by eating his fair share, and thankfully being away from the window meant he kept it all down. 

By the time they paid and got back to the car, it was already much darker than Juyeon had hoped for. The sun had set long ago, would it still be romantic to propose in the dark? 

They climbed into the car, Juyeon turned the keys to start the engine. “How about we go to the prom before we head home, hm?” Juyeon suggested.

“Ugh, Ju, I’m tired.” Hyunjae dramatically whined as he sunk into the passenger seat. It’s dark and getting cold, do we have to?”

“Don’t you think it would be romantic?” Juyeon tried to sway him. He was the one driving anyway, so they were going to go wherever he took them. But Hyunjae just seemed to be putting up a fight against everything today.

“The place where we had our first date. Our first kiss,” He reminisced. Hyunjae rolled his eyes at his boyfriend as they drove off. He realized he didn’t have a say whether or not they were going, so he buckled his seatbelt and stared out of the window quietly.

The temperature dropped quickly in February, and Juyeon was slightly regretting not bringing a coat with him as they walked along the chilly riverside. Then again, how romantic would that be? Surely he would struggle to get down on one knee if he was wearing a long, padded coat.

His stomach churned with nerves as he began to think about it more. His hand gripped the box inside his pocket. Squeezing the velvet material made everything feel surreal, here they were; Juyeon about to propose and Hyunjae being none the wiser.

He glanced over to his boyfriend, who tugged his jacket closer to his slender body in an attempt to stay warm.

“How much longer do we have to be out here, Ju?” He complained. Of course, it wouldn’t be Hyunjae if he didn’t have something to say.

“Just a little longer. Walking dinner off, right?” He bluffed. 

Juyeon led them in the direction of the pavilion towards the end of the walk. Its beautiful lights were dusty in the distance, a warm glow as other couples lingered beneath them as they looked out at the city lights glistening on the river. 

When they came here during the summer, the sky was a pleasant peach and tangerine color. The sunset between the mountains which lay beyond the skyscrapers. Juyeon’s heart had never felt fuller than on that day, and even though the current sky was shy of a midnight blue, he hoped to recreate that feeling.

Finally, they reached the pavilion. Hyunjae shuddered at the slight shelter from the cold, winter wind. Juyeon’s mouth suddenly turned dry as he looked at the people surrounding them. 

This had been an inevitability, having an audience to Juyeon bearing his heart and soul. His grip tightened on the box, hoping it would give him the courage to go through with this.

“You know, five years ago, if you would’ve asked me if I’d be standing here with the love of my life, I never would have believed you.” Juyeon chewed his lip nervously. His heartfelt like it was going to explode in an instant. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do.

“Ju-” Hyunjae hummed lightly. His smile stretching across his face at his boyfriend’s sentimentality. 

“I’m serious!” Juyeon chuckled. He reached out for his boyfriend’s hand, extracting it from his pocket as he curled his fingers between the gaps.

He felt overwhelmed with the urge to run away, yet he was determined to see this through.

“That summer, when you asked me out, I would never have known just how much you would come to mean to me.” 

“You make me sound like a fool,” Hyunjae griped.

“Well, you were,” Juyeon retorted to him. Hyunjae gave him a scolding look, one that Juyeon knew was playful and without malice. “You still are.”

Hyunjae laughed, pulling away from his lover slightly in fake irritation as Juyeon clung into him dearly. 

Juyeon knew it was now or never, he had to do this before the moment passed.

“There’s something I wanted to ask,” Juyeon did his best to not stutter a word. Hyunjae was slightly distracted by the orbs of light dancing along the water; reflections of the buildings which lay along the riverside. Juyeon grasped the box tighter in his pocket, ready to pull it out.

“You know, Hyunjae, you mean the world to me. I love you more than you could possibly imagine.” 

Hyunjae finally looked back at Juyeon. His eyes glinted with a hint of confusion as to why Juyeon was suddenly so sappy and soft. Juyeon felt his vocal cords seize up; every unrealistic thought of Hyunjae rejecting him suddenly ran amok through his mind as he stuttered into a nervous laugh.

“That’s why- I was wondering if-” He choked. Five years of feelings suddenly flooded his being; wow he truly did love this man standing in front of him. “You’d do me the honor of-”

_ “Yes!”  _ A reply echoed into the air. Juyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

That answer didn’t come from Hyunjae’s mouth.

Hyunjae peered over Juyeon’s shoulder, looking over to a couple who stood merely meters behind them.

_ “Yes, I’ll marry you! Oh my god!”  _ A lady belted into the air. Her new fiance was still propped up on one knee as Juyeon turned around to see them.

_ “Congratulations!” “Well done!” “Wonderful!”  _ Adoration came pouring in from the onlookers who witnessed the happy engagement. Juyeon’s heart sank like a rock in his chest. 

How could he possibly propose to Hyunjae after this couple did it first?

Hyunjae clapped politely, bringing Juyeon back to reality as he joined in too. As the newly engaged couple basked in the glow of their newly devoted love, Juyeon couldn’t help but feel bitterness hanging in the air.

His hand slipped away from the box slightly.

“How lame is that?” Hyunjae leaned in to whisper into Juyeon’s ear. The words hit him like a bullet. Painful, agonizingly so, as Hyunjae scoffed a little at the happy couple. “Proposing on the promenade on Valentine’s day? So cliche, right?” 

Juyeon gulped down the last of his pride as he let go of the ring. 

“Yeah, cliche.” 

  
  


The walk back to the car was filled with Hyunjae prattling on about what movie he wanted to end the night with. Juyeon listened half-heartedly. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the universe was trying to tell him something. His worries grew as he continued to drift out of the conversation. The weight of the box in his pocket felt heavier than ever, he wondered how long it was going to collect dust until he was brave enough to try again.

“Ju?” A questionable tone broke Juyeon from his spiral downward. 

Hyunjae seemed completely unaware of the effects today had on Juyeon, which was great. Juyeon didn’t want to have to explain how every single part of his plan for today to go perfectly had failed. Hyunjae walked with a lighthearted step, a gentle curve of his lips as he waited for Juyeon to answer him. Only to realize that he had to repeat himself first.

“What were you going to ask me before?” 

“What?” Juyeon panicked. His heart jumped into his throat as he tried to figure out how to avoid this.

“You said you had something to ask me, on the pier.” Hyunjae seemed so nonchalant. Did he not know what today was supposed to be about? Was he too good at ignoring the obvious? 

“It was just-” Juyeon had to think quickly on his feet. “What flavor of ice cream you wanted to pick up for tonight.” 

Ah yes, great save. Hyunjae’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he laughed.

“We can pick it up on the way home-” Juyeon turned his attention to their car before them, only to spot something unusual about it.

“What the hell-” Juyeon’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. “No, no. God! Come  _ on _ !” He cursed. Hyunjae lingered back as Juyeon approached the shiny yellow device which was clamped around his wheel.

“No parking on weekends.” An officer tapped his ticket book as he wrote up Juyeon. 

Juyeon felt like he was going to go insane.

First, Hyunjae was hungover. Then they missed their original reservation and had to move tables. Then another couple got engaged instead of him, and now  _ this _ ? Juyeon couldn’t help the laughter of disbelief that erupted from his chest.

“Officer, please-” Juyeon ran around to the other side of the car. As he approached, the officer ripped out the ticket from the book and handed it to him. It took everything in Juyeon’s body not to crumple it up on sight. “We were barely gone for half an hour. Can’t you look the other way?” 

“I’m sorry; rules are rules.” They reiterated. Juyeon pursed his lips together tightly, not to spill just anything out of his mouth. Hyunjae finally came to join Juyeon at his side.

“But it’s Valentine’s day,” It was Juyeon’s last attempt at getting out of this. “Can’t you forgive two young lovers in love?” Hyunjae looked at his boyfriend like he had gone crazy. What was with Juyeon today? 

The officer shook their head before pointing at the slip he had given Juyeon. “Here’s the number you need to call to get the clamp removed.” 

Juyeon gritted his teeth so tightly that his jaw began to shake. 

“The office is open weekdays nine until five.” 

“What?” Hyunjae piped up. Juyeon’s mouth fell agape.

“It’s Sunday. How are we supposed to get home without a car?”

The police officer shrugged. “Taxi, walk. I’m sorry, I can’t help you there either.”

Juyeon held his tongue once again to prevent himself from saying something terrible. Hyunjae could feel the tension radiate from him.

“Thank you, officer. We’ll be sure to pay it tomorrow.” Hyunjae took hold of Juyeon’s shoulders and turned him away.

  
  


\------

Their apartment was a brisk thirty-minute walk away, and Hyunjae had convinced Juyeon to walk. 

_ ‘It’ll calm you down, _ ’ He told him. The chill in Juyeon’s bones was already doing a good job of that. 

The day was a colossal failure. Nothing had gone right. His only saving grace was that Hyunjae was none the wiser about his bigger plans for the day, but it still hurt Juyeon in ways he couldn’t describe.

“Well, today was a total bust,” Hyunjae mused out loud. “Maybe we should’ve just stayed in bed.” Juyeon felt his temple twitch in annoyance.

“Yeah, you think that would have solved everything.” Juyeon sniped a little.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hyunjae stopped in his path. The lack of footsteps following him made Juyeon worry that he had been too harsh. He felt his boyfriend’s hand tug at his elbow.

“Nothing, nothing.” He shrugged off, but Hyunjae was being persistent.

“It’s obviously something, Ju. You’ve been harping on me all day.” Juyeon felt his lips twist into a grin of disbelief.

So Hyunjae wasn’t as dumb as he seemed.

“To go to the restaurant, to go on a walk.” Hyunjae began to list off the events of the day. He pulled Juyeon to look at him, but Juyeon couldn’t bear to look Hyunjae in the eye. He felt like he had failed. “You made us wait an hour for a table. You practically begged that police officer.”

Hyunjae got tired of Juyeon avoiding him, so he moved directly into his eyesight. 

“When that couple got engaged at the pier, you looked spooked. What’s got you so hung up on Valentine’s day all of a sudden?”

“Nothing! No reason! Just let it go. God, could this day get any worse?”

Yes, it could.

A rumble in the sky was quickly followed by the inevitable. Rain.

The darkness of the thick clouds meant more than just nightfall, apparently. Juyeon had failed to check the evening weather because he assumed they would be home celebrating their new engagement by now.

The crack of thunder accompanied the downpour. Large drops of water splattering on Juyeon’s clothes and in his hair. Hyunjae looked up to the sky in surprise at the sudden change in weather as Juyeon burst into maniacal laughter.

“Of course!” He cackled madly. Hyunjae drew his attention back to his poor boyfriend. “Of fucking course it rains!” 

Hyunjae furrowed his eyebrows in concern, “Juyeon. Can you just tell me what’s going on?”

The worry in his voice was the thing that tipped Juyeon over the edge, it seemed. He just couldn’t take this day anymore.

“Well, I might as well!” He laughed wildly. He shook his dampened hair as his jaw hung open in disbelief. 

This day has been  _ terrible _ !

“I might as well tell you, considering you hated the idea anyway-” As Juyeon spoke, his fingers fumbled to pull the box from his wet pants pocket. 

“I had it all planned out.” His fingers and jaw began to shake. “A nice dinner overlooking the city where we fell in love. A walk down the promenade where we had our first date.”

Juyeon was so entranced in his own sob story that he was missing the growing look of shock on Hyunjae’s face.

“I was going to propose to you- right in that very spot where that couple got engaged first.” His voice began to shake as his emotions ran high. 

He was so done with today. He was tired, and annoyed, and now very wet and emotional because nothing had gone right at all.

“I was going to propose to you. But then you said it was stupid and cliche. And I-” Juyeon paused as he finally locked eyes with his boyfriend. “Hyunjae?”

Hyunjae was on the verge of tears. Eyed tinged red as they became bloodshot, his lip quivered as his shoulders began to shake. Juyeon expelled the last drop of air from his lungs as he stuttered apologetically.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you; this isn’t your fault.” Juyeon reached out to hold Hyunjae’s face, but Hyunjae intercepted it to hold his hand instead.

“No, that’s not why I’m crying.” He laughed through the tears. Juyeon felt his heart swell in his chest. The note of happiness in his voice made Juyeon feel so light again, a much-needed change from the pain he had been fighting all day. 

Hyunjae gently took Juyeon’s hand in his own. His thumb circling the coarse skin on the back of Juyeon’s hand, he choked a laugh through his tears once more in the utmost disbelief. “You want to marry me?”

Juyeon huffed out a breathy laugh, too. “Of course I want to marry you.”

He moved closer to his lover, entwining their fingers together as Hyunjae’s breath continued to stumble over his tears. Hyunjae was shaking his head, unable to wipe the smile from his face as he caused Juyeon’s nervous laughter to build. That familiar feeling fluttering around his stomach returned; the certainty of his love for this man and that important question he wanted to ask him.

“Hyunjae, I love you. More than anything else in this world.” As Juyeon managed to steady his voice, Hyunjae lost his once again.

The rain sinking into his clothes seemed to become unimportant. Every failed task of the day, from missing their reservation to showing Hyunjae the ring was suddenly moot. Nothing else mattered right now besides the man standing before him. The man that he loved with all of his heart.

Juyeon took a deep breath. His fingers gripped the gaps between Hyunjae’s a little tighter as he shifted his weight around on his feet slightly.

“I don’t care if you think it’s cliche. The promenade meant a lot to me, to us.” He couldn’t tear himself away from the look in Hyunjae’s eyes. Everything perfectly fitted into place at this very moment. “I wanted to propose there so it would be memorable forever.”

“You idiot.”

“Yes, I know. It’s cliche-” Juyeon began to defend himself. Hyunjae interrupted.

“It doesn’t matter where you propose.” Hyunjae chuckled dismissively. Juyeon shook his head at it. Maybe it didn’t matter to Hyunjae, but it mattered the world to him. Hyunjae squeezed Juyeon’s hand a little harder in reassurance.

“It doesn’t matter because I’d always say yes.”

“You would?” Juyeon’s voice faltered. His eyebrows arched as he looked imploringly towards the love of his life. 

Hyunjae managed to return with a whisper. “Yeah.”

“Then,” Without a second thought, Juyeon bent down on one knee. The wet pavement bruised his knee, and he scuffed his well-polished shoes as he tried to keep balance. Hyunjae was stunned into silence once more as Juyeon let go of his hand to open the box.

It was far from perfect. Black clouds lingering, pouring rain. The entire day had been in ruins since it started, but as Juyeon looked up to Hyunjae as his hair began to stick to his forehead, he instantly forgot about it all.

“Hyunjae. I love you to death. There’s nobody else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. And nobody else I’d propose to in the middle of the street, in the pouring rain, while they were still half hungover.”

Hyunjae’s teeth chattered from the cold as he laughed. The ring still glistened in the streetlight. Flecks of orange and white made them forget about the cold and the rain, Hyunjae only took his eyes off it to look at his lover with utmost adoration. Juyeon’s breath began to shake from the silence between them.

The day flashed through Juyeon’s mind one more time before it became erased. Hyunjae was right; it didn’t matter. It was perfect.

“Lee Hyunjae. Will you marry me?”

Hyunjae slowly extended his hand for Juyeon to take. The silent agreement before the verbal answer came. 

“Yes.” He said.

In a hurry, Juyeon removed the ring from the box with one hand. His other hand delicately brought Hyunjae’s fingers closer, his fingertips tracing along Hyunjae’s palm as it shook.

“Yes, I will.” 

Juyeon slipped the ring onto his finger, and in the next second Hyunjae was pulling him back to his feet. 

Their lips met in heated contrast to the cold air, laughter escaping between the gaps. They were both laughing like fools; like they were newly betrothed teenagers sneaking out together for the first time. Excitement coursing through their veins as wet limbs encased one another and they clung to each other’s skin.

Eventually, the chill set into their bones and calmed the two lovers down.

“Is that the thing,” Hyunjae pressed against Juyeon’s lips in a hum. His eyes were open, checking the new addition on his ring finger as he laced his arms around his fiance's neck. “That I thought was a cock ring when it arrived?”

Juyeon pursed his lips together and closed his eyes tightly. “Don’t. You’ll ruin the moment.” He tried to distract him with another kiss. 

“I guess I wasn’t totally wrong,” Hyunjae averted his head to the side as he brought his hand out to gaze at the ring more obviously. Juyeon tilted his mouth open with a sigh.

“Hyunjae.” He whined.

“It’s definitely keeping something strong for the rest of our lives.” 

“Do you realize what you just called yourself?” Juyeon arched an eyebrow at his lover. He really did say the darndest things sometimes. Hyunjae stared back at him blankly, the metaphor going over his head.

But, by God, did he love him.

“Nevermind,” Juyeon sighed gently. He took his fiance’s hand, feeling the cool metal band against his fingers as he laced their fingers together.

_ ‘I did that _ .’ Juyeon thought, squeezing ever so slightly to imprint the ring against him. Something so innately comforting about knowing they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Juyeon had found  _ the one _ .

“Let’s just go home before we catch colds.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/connahquay) & [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/connahquay)


End file.
